


It Remains...Unsolved

by Brumeier



Series: Bite Sized Fic 2020 [69]
Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series), Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: First Meetings, Gen, Ghost Hunters, Manipulation, Prompt Fill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:00:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26433802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brumeier/pseuds/Brumeier
Summary: LJ Comment Fic for Reality TV prompt:Prodigal Son, Jessica Whitly+ any, she's been contacted by the Kindred Spirits team to do an investigation in her homeIn which Jessica continues to try and control the narrative of her family.
Series: Bite Sized Fic 2020 [69]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1610332
Comments: 8
Kudos: 15
Collections: Bite Sized Bits of Fic from 2020





	It Remains...Unsolved

“Gentlemen. Please come in.” Jessica stood aside to let her guests through the door, which she closed behind them. “This way.”

She led them into the parlor, where she’d set out lemonade and cookies from the specialty bakery one block over.

“This is really nice, thank you,” Mr. Bergara said politely. 

His tall companion seemed a little disappointed. Jessica wondered if he’d been expecting a full tea service.

“Please help yourself.”

Jessica settled herself on the sofa across from them, smoothing the skirt of her dress. She’d gone for a motherly ensemble reminiscent of the nineteen-fifties era to put Mr. Bergara and Mr. Madej more at ease and reinforce that the house was someone’s actual home, and not some sort of terrible museum to the crimes of her husband.

“I appreciate you coming. I know that’s probably not how you usually work.”

“Anything we can do to put your mind at ease, Mrs. Whitly,” Mr. Bergara said.

Mr. Madej spoke up for the first time. “Quite frankly, I was surprised you agreed to our request.”

Jessica nodded. She’d received countless requests from investigators of all kind, from amateurs on YouTube to more professional groups like Kindred Spirits and Ghost Hunters, and she’d flatly refused every one of them.

“I think you and Mr. Bergara –”

“No need to be so formal. It’s just Ryan and Shane,” Mr. Bergara interrupted.

Jessica raised her eyebrow.

“Sorry.”

“As I was saying, I think your unique approach would be the best to represent my family home.” Jessica picked up a glass of lemonade and took a dainty sip. “I trust you to remind your viewing audience that my children grew up here, that despite what happened we’ve had happy lives in this house.”

Ryan and Shane exchanged a look. 

“Ryan gets a little carried away with the ghost business,” Shane said, “but our team’s research is pretty thorough. We’ll tell the story based on the facts.”

“And one of your facts will be that no-one ever died in this house. I want to be very clear about that.”

Jessica didn’t know if that was true. But she couldn’t bear thinking about some poor young woman breathing out her last breath, terrified, while the children were asleep in their rooms. Surely not even Martin would defile his own home that way.

She steadfastly refused to think of the woman in the box.

“This house was built by my great-great-great-grandfather and has always been in my family. In all that time, no-one has ever died here.”

Ryan leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “Mrs. Whitly, if you’re so sure there aren’t ghosts here, why did you agree to let us do an investigation?”

Shane answered for her. “You want us to debunk it.”

“What? Really?”

Jessica held up a hand. “I don’t want you to debunk it. For all I know there are countless phantoms roaming the halls here.”

On the really bad days, she swore she could feel them.

“I want you to do what you do best. Put a fun spin on things. Let Shane ground the experience in reality and pessimism.” She’d done her research, too. She’d watched their little show.

“I’m a nihilist, not a pessimist,” Shane contradicted. “But I see what you’re doing. I’m okay with it.”

“Okay with what?” Ryan asked, looking confused. 

Jessica smiled, and it was genuine this time. “Thank you. I’ve put together the history of the house, including the layout. If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to call.”

She handed Ryan a slim thumb drive.

“Wow. Thank you.”

That was the end of their business together. Jessica wasn’t interested in being interviewed, there were police and news media transcripts Shane and Ryan could access if they wanted any of her soundbites. If they wanted someone from the family involved, she had no doubt that Ainsley would be more than happy to be interviewed for the investigation.

Jessica wasn’t planning to tell Malcolm. He most definitely would not approve.

She showed Shane and Ryan out, the two of them seemingly opposites in every way – one tall, one short, one a believer, the other a skeptic. They were a good balance for each other, and hopefully would offer a well-balanced exploration of Jessica’s home.

The real ghost in the house was the life she and her children should have had. The one Martin had destroyed.

_There’s been a lot of tragedy associated with Whitly Mansion. Whether or not it’s haunted by the spirits of the women killed by the Surgeon remains…unsolved._

**Author's Note:**

>  **AN:** I've never seen _Kindred Spirits_ , so at first I wasn't going to take on this prompt. But then I thought about Shane and Ryan, and decided to switch things up. First time writing the Ghoul Boys, so fingers crossed I didn't make a mess of them.


End file.
